Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles along predefined and generally invariant routes. For example, buses frequently operate on predefined routes, according to a predefined time schedule (for example, along a route that is geographically, as well as temporally defined). Fleet operators often assign specific vehicles to particular routes. Occasionally, maintenance issues necessitate changing the vehicles assigned to specific routes. It is often tedious and time-consuming for fleet operators to keep track of which route a particular vehicle has been assigned to at any given time.
In addition to keeping track of what routes specific vehicles have serviced, fleet operators also must be concerned with complying with federal law, which presently requires that commercial drivers make a visual inspection of specific components on any type of vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 lbs (11,793 kgs) or more. Components for which inspection is required include the brake system, fuel system, warning lights, tires, etc. An exemplary vehicle inspection report listing the components and systems that must be inspected by a driver to satisfy the DOT regulations is illustrated in FIG. 4. Under the current system, a driver is only required to fill out a paper log and keep it on file for 90 days. Many experts report that less than half of the drivers ever perform the check. Instead, many drivers simply fill out the report while seated in the cab of the truck or in a coffee shop. The report is meaningless unless the listed components and systems have actually been inspected. For example, a driver who fails to actually inspect components on his vehicle will fail to detect that brake fluid is leaking from a hydraulic master brake cylinder. As a result, the brakes on the driver's truck may fail, potentially causing a serious accident.
It would be desirable to provide such fleet operators with method and apparatus to facilitate performing such important vehicle inspections, which also captures vehicle identification data and route identification data, so that fleet operators can more readily determine what route a particular vehicle serviced on a particular day, while also complying with the vehicle inspection requirements.